Kent’s only ambulance station, St John’s, is set to close as the charity makes huge cuts.
Four staff members at the Ashford base are at risk of redundancy.
An employee who wished to remain anonymous told KentOnline that the cuts will have a huge impact and could increase overall ambulance response times as a result.
He says he feels “let down” by the charity after six years of service.
“There are four of us in Ashford who work at St. John’s and we could all lose our jobs,” he said.
“There were 12 of us, but many left because of the uncertainty about their future.”
St John’s Ambulance First Aid Centre in Maidstone Road, Ashford, is one of 12 sites across the UK that management has proposed closing, with 48 jobs at risk following an internal consultation.
The charity, which is made up mainly of volunteers, provides first aid and responds to emergency calls.
However, bosses say they took the “difficult decision” to reduce their workforce last year after revenues fell since the pandemic.
The worker added: “The cuts will take 25 ambulances off the road across the country and will have a huge impact.”
He told KentOnline that the Ashford service regularly helps South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) with emergency calls in Kent.
He added: “I have enjoyed every second of my job helping people. That is why I joined the ambulance service.
“We do exactly the same as Secamb. We respond to 999 calls and a wide range of emergencies.
“This is going to be a huge loss across the country. Our NHS is in shambles at the moment. Hospital waiting times are huge and laying off 50 staff is going to have a huge impact.
“If we go, only Secamb will respond to these calls. People are not getting the response times that we need. This is not just Kent that will be affected.
“I blame St. John’s entirely for this.
“They have been struggling financially for years. They had a new management team that promised us the world, but they have not delivered.”
Despite the cuts, St John’s bosses say they will continue to provide life-saving training, education and support to the community.
A spokesperson said: “In 2023, the charity announced it was taking the difficult decision to reduce its workforce following a year-on-year decline in income since the pandemic.
“As part of the measures to support the sustainable future of our organization, we are also closing a number of our buildings that are not optimally utilized or that incur high maintenance or operating costs.
“This will allow the charity to continue to deliver the life-saving training, education and support it provides to the community and its clients.
“Throughout the process, we work with our volunteers and employees to develop proposals, changes and the future continuity of delivery in the communities we serve.”
But the angry employee believes the cuts are “unfair” to the charity’s paid staff.
He continued: “I work four 12-hour shifts a week and have done so for six years.
“They are selling the buildings and laying off staff to try to stay alive.
“Once everything is closed, there will be 100 buildings left in the UK. There used to be 400.
“I understand why they would rather keep volunteers than paid employees, but I fear that these volunteers sometimes do not have nearly as much experience.”
Secamb declined to comment.